


Subservience of the Apprentice

by stuffilikeiwrite



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Has Issues, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, And Palps Uses His Manipulation Tactics in an A+ Manner, Angst, Canon Compliant, Dark, Darth Vader Needs a Hug, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Master and Apprentice, POV Darth Vader, Sad, Sad Vader, Vader Defies Palpatine and Gets Shit For It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26286631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuffilikeiwrite/pseuds/stuffilikeiwrite
Summary: "Consider this awarning. You have served me as well as you may, despite the disappointment of your loss at Mustafar. You have disgraced me, by relying upon your own overconfidence. Your punishment for your own pride is the twisted body you now reside in. You are lucky to be alive, and you should show me nothing but gratitude. Would you rather I had left your smoldering remains by the lakes of molten lava?"
Relationships: Sheev Palpatine & Anakin Skywalker, Sheev Palpatine & Darth Vader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 46





	Subservience of the Apprentice

"You wish for me to prove myself as a servant, but refuse to endorse me for following your orders. Is _this_ not what you ask of me?"

Vader's tone would have carried a mixture of disbelief and anger, had the vocalizer been able to convey anything other than a monotone rumble. He gestured one gloved hand demonstratively towards the now lifeless body of Moff Xerxes Rahkn - a known rebel sympathizer, and thus well warranted of the fate that had befallen him. Yet, Emperor Palpatine simply sneered in distaste at the gruesome display. Despite the fact that both he and Vader _knew_ that Rahkn had been planning the beginnings of an uprising, actively laying the foundations for an assassination plan directed at the Emperor himself. Vader had dealt swiftly with the culprit, had pried into his mind for any necessary information and disposed of the useless husk left behind. He'd considered it a mercy killing, almost. Still, his master showed little gratitude, no appraisal; only disapproval and disgust.

"I did not request that you bring your vermin to my threshold. Have you no shame? You believe yourself to know what I am thinking, and yet you behave as if _I_ were the pawn and _you_ the master," Palpatine spoke in a gravelly, slow tone; his golden eyes burning with an intense loathing.

"I do not view myself as superior, yet you have tasked me with dispatching any traitors found within the Imperial rank. This man, as you are aware, was well into the design of your demise. He must now have been working alone."

"No, but he and his followers would not have succeeded. Do you think so little of me, my apprentice? Do you fear I cannot defend my own honour? You have seen my might firsthand, and yet I sense uncertainty in your perception of me. Why is that so?"

“There is no uncertainty, master.”

“Do not lie to me. I _know_ you.”

Vader wanted to look away from those prying, burning ember eyes as they peered at him from the deep, hollowed sockets in the Emperor's ghostly pale face. His hooded cloak pulled up over his head to shroud his deformed features in shadow, his thin lips pulled in a taut line. Gnarled hands hovering mid air, with claw-like fingers ready to conjure up bolts of lightning. 

Vader _abhorred_ his master, despite the irrevocable bond they shared. Palpatine was a cruel, sadistic, menacing monster in the guise of an elderly man. No doubt he would have easily torn Rahkn to shreds with his own hands, a gleeful wicked grimace of a grin on his wrinkled features. It was almost enough to make Vader shudder, as long since suppressed memories conjured up an image of the Emperor's frightful visage as he rejoiced the murder of Jedi Master Mace Windu. Vader found he could not break the uncomfortable stare, kept in place by an unspoken request; a demand too powerful to neglect.

"You are faltering. I care little for your pesky attempts at appeasing me with thoughtlessness, with your sordid favours. I do not care for gifts, and I need neither a bodyguard nor a coward under my wing. A mere henchman would be superfluous in the grand scheme of the Empire, and I have more than enough manpower to occupy that state without your assistance. What I want from _you_ is unwavering _loyalty_. Is that not what you swore onto me, the day I declared you as my apprentice, Lord Vader?"

"Yes, my master," Vader responded per automatic, without consideration as he had been conditioned to.

"Ah, there we are. Therein lies the problem. You do not dwell upon your own words, you grant them no meaning. They are void and empty, as meaningless as the unfortunate memories you so hopelessly cling to."

This time Vader _did_ shudder, as the taste of bile rose at the back of his throat. The tremor willed itself down his spine, but he remained still and steady. The delighted gleam in his master's Sith eyes revealed that he too had sensed the sudden discomfort. Relying on the fact that they were alone - the twin set of Royal Guards lingering just outside the hydraulic doors would they need to intervene - Palpatine drew nearer. His yellow teeth were on display, as his sneer grew into a wide devilish grin. Another wave of disgust washed over Vader, along with a dormant and subdued prickle of _dread_. In the beginning, it had been more difficult to ignore the uncanny nature of his master but these days, he was used to it. He was always on edge, keeping his guard up.

"I have taught you well, and yet you remain a failure. You seek ambition, yes, but you lack the means by which to come by it. I carried such grand plans for my tu en tu with Moff Rahkn, and now my careful planning appears to have been all for naught. All because you fail to see my vision, fail to understand my meticulous schemes. It is a pity, don't you think, Lord Vader?"

Palpatine tsked, his tone demeaning and condescending as his gaze flickered to the cooling body splayed out between them. Vader felt his skin crawl, fighting back the urge to curl his hands into tight fists as the rage simmered just beneath the surface. His master had a way of toying with him, insinuating he would do one thing only to turn around and do the exact opposite. Except, when Vader _would_ take that into account next time a similar situation presented itself - the Emperor would stick to his word. Unpredictable, infernal and proud to elude all cohesive calculation. It only served to make Vader despise his master more; longing for the day he could rid the Galaxy of Darth Sidious and replace him as Emperor.

"Do you have nothing to say for yourself, my apprentice?"

This time, Palpatine's voice was harsher; demanding a reply. Only, Vader found himself falling out of step with their usual chagrin. Instead of accepting the blame, of immediately admitting defeat and apologizing for his disobedience - he scoffed, the voice box emitting an ungodly static noise.

"I am merely following _your_ whims, my master. I reiterate, you request that I show no mercy towards traitors of the Empire. You have, with all due respect, given me no restraints as to how to deal with opposition. Rahkn was a traitor, and I have dealt with him just as you have instructed, my master. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You do not decide where the line is drawn, Vader," Palpatine hissed, his tone venomous as his eyes narrowed; his hunched form slowly creeping nearer.

"I see no need to. You have already drawn it for me, master."

“Indeed I have, and you are overstepping it time and again. I only have so much patience for your antics, and what little is left is running thin.”

“I call upon your tuition as my inspiration,” Vader snapped back, realizing far too late that he was out of line - or perhaps not caring.

"I will _not_ tolerate such insolence! You remain blinded by your pesky attachment issues. You may rely upon me for knowledge, but tread carefully."

Vader felt his shoulders tense up, knew his mangled body would be sore and strained from the ordeal. He could feel the ire behind the Emperor's facade spilling over, could see the fire in his yellow eyes. The tendrils of the Dark Side radiating out from the old man, like a consumption sickness. Devouring anything it touched. Turning the aura of the room thick and heavy, suffocating like the air right before a thunderstorm. A pressing, ever expanding venom. Black, void, _unrelenting_. 

"Consider this a _warning_. You have served me as well as you may, despite the disappointment of your loss at Mustafar. You have disgraced me, by relying upon your own overconfidence. Your punishment for your own pride is the twisted body you now reside in. You are lucky to be alive, and you should show me nothing but gratitude. Would you rather I had left your smoldering remains by the lakes of molten lava?"

_Flashes of agonizing heat, of blinding flames; of scalding smoke inhaled into his crumbling lungs. Eating away at his skin, his hair, his bones. Tissue and sinew evaporated by embers. He can't see, can't breathe; there is only pain. Pain, anger, and fear. He is frightened. He’s going to die here. Red hot, searing anguish and unfathomable terror his only company. They all left. The Apprentice. Kenobi. Padmé. They abandoned him, leaving him here to burn to death. To burn in solitude._

Forcefully, Vader blocked out the haunting memories. There was only Palpatine. Only his master, who had come to save him. Come to give him a second chance, come to breathe life back into his scathed remains. He would have been better off dead, and yet, he was glad for the opportunity of revenge that he had been offered.

" _Would you_ "? Palpatine repeated, tearing Vader out of his trance and back to reality.

Clenching his weak jaw, Vader bowed his head in expected reverence as he finally relented. He despised the fact that he must adhere to his master's will, that he must keep his mouth shut and soak up scoldings like a disobedient manchild. To think that he had once dreamed of freedom, only to find himself locked up in a cage of his own making. There was no such thing as being free, he had come to realize.

"No, my master," he spoke, and there was a surprising sincerity behind that sentiment.

"Good. You may leave. I am needed elsewhere, and as a matter of fact, so are _you_. Governor Tarkin expects you to attend the committee. It appears you will be further conducting discussion regarding the construction of the Death Star."

"Yes, master," Vader said, the already brewing anger turning into furious rage at the thought of staying put, and pretending to support Tarkin in his ideology.

The Death Star, the dream of his master made reality, was a vanity project. It was unnecessary, unethical, expensive and too dangerous to be useful as a mere Imperial commodification. Palpatine was well acquainted with his dislike for the weapon, and was no doubt enjoying the fact that he was forcing his apprentice to assist in both the construction and the defense of its very creation. Vader would never speak positively on the matter, but he had no power in stopping or nullifying the work being made. A waste of time and resources. Tarkin only wanted him there to stand faithful and silent by his side, preventing any other attendees from questioning his supervision. 

Turning on his heel, Vader gave a brief bow of courtesy before he made his way towards the exit in a quick stride. He was mere inches from the motion sensors that lined the doorway when the Emperor's voice piped up again.

"Oh. I nearly forgot. There is one more Jedi you must annihilate."

At that, Vader's ears perked up and had he not been so limited in his mobility by his heavy armour and helmet, he would have peered curiously over one shoulder. As it were, he stopped mid stride and waited patiently to be fed the bait Palpatine dangled over his head; back turned towards his master. He had already slaughtered uncountable numbers of Force wielders, dooming the Jedi to extinction. Who had he missed?

"He appears to be rather resilient," the Emperor continued to muse, tone cryptic and surprisingly playful.

"He shall be dealt with."

"Yes. It must be done soon, for I fear he may be jeopardizing our efforts."

There was something poignantly sinister to Palpatine's words, something unkind and almost giddy. Vader had assumed Kenobi might have been on his master's mind - despite the fact that Palpatine seemed to be resentfully inclined to the way in which Vader himself obsessed over the idea of one day killing his former master. Retribution was all Vader craved, in defense.

"What is his name?"

Only when he'd asked that aloud, did Vader realize he had walked right into a trap.

" _Anakin Skywalker_."

There was a second of blissful numbness, before the memories came flooding back to crash upon him like a hurricane. 

Mother, with a weathered face but compassionate dark eyes. Ahsoka, with a wide beam and unyielding admiration. Obi Wan; a scolding tone but a well meaning squeeze to the shoulder. Padmé; beautiful, radiant, intelligent, intellectual, brave. _Padmé_.

"He is already dead. I have long since destroyed Skywalker," Vader spat out; even the modulator could not disperse the unadulterated _contempt_ that seeped into his voice, coursing through his veins and colouring his Force signature black as tar.

_Mother's soft hand on his cheek. He let her down. Ahsoka's forlorn eyes as she wished him good luck. He let her die. Obi Wan's broken profession of love. He failed him. Padmé's tearfilled eyes as he labeled her a liar. He killed her. It was all him. They’re all gone - because of him._

"Are you _certain_?" mocked Palpatine, his growl slipping through the haze of too many unwanted memories, too many _emotions_ \- following the rhetorical question up with an eerie, unhinged cackle - relishing in the torment of his apprentice. 

"I wonder..." he added, trailing off into a pregnant silence.

"I'm certain," Vader forced himself to say, but it felt as if he was no longer in control of his own body - as if he no longer spoke of his own volition.

The edges of his vision blurred, fading away. A tremor passed through his unsteady legs as he fought against the intrusive thoughts, the obtrusive remnants of _The Jedi_ attempting to chain and subdue him. He would not admit Skywalker was still alive. He would not.

"Very well. Let's make sure he _stays_ that way."

Palpatine's words were final, and there was no room for misinterpretation. They were crystal clear. Even as the voices of a million innocent lives snuffed out howled and wailed through the shreds left of Vader's conscience, he heard himself faraway reply with an affirmative. As if his head was under water, as if the phantoms he'd buried underneath the surface were clawing their way out. 

Mother. Ahsoka. Obi Wan. _Padmé._

"Now go."

He was dismissed. Still, it took Vader much longer than he would have liked to shut the stubborn reminders of _The Jedi_ out once he’d found solace in distraction and preoccupation. He'd never admit it aloud, but deep down a part of him knew he was fighting a losing battle. He could only lie to himself for so long. 

If he wanted Anakin Skywalker to truly die, he'd have to kill _himself_.

**Author's Note:**

> So.... this is kinda dark, but I do like Vader and Palps’ dynamic. It’s so toxic, and so twisted but very interesting to work with. I also had fun using Palpatine’s tendency to manipulate Vader, and Vader’s will but ultimately inability to fight back. This is set kind of in the middle between the OT and the PT, not quite SWR but almost. Vader is still struggling, trying to fight back but also beginning to come apart from the weight of his own denial. Anyhow. Hope you enjoy!


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